WASHINGTON, D.C. (WGHP) — First Lady Jill Biden will soon receive the official 2024 White House Christmas Tree, the White House announced in a press release Thursday.
On Monday, Nov. 25 at 2:30 p.m., First Lady Biden will receive a Fraser Fir from western North Carolina, a region pushing forward after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
Since 1966, the National Christmas Tree Association has picked the farm to provide each year’s tree by holding the National Christmas Tree Contest. This year, Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, North Carolina, was named grand champion.
This year’s 20-foot tall tree will stand floor to ceiling in the White House’s Blue Room. Every year, the room’s chandelier is removed to accommodate the tree’s height.
This year will mark the 16th time since 1961 that the White House Christmas tree has been harvested from North Carolina, the second largest Christmas-tree-producing state in the country. Pennsylvania is the only state to come close with 11 times.
This will also be the third time that the Biden Administration has hosted a North Carolina tree. The 2023 tree was harvested from Fleetwood, North Carolina, and the 2021 tree was harvested from Jefferson, North Carolina. Biden’s 2022 tree came from Auburn, Pennsylvania.
The only other presidents to host a North Carolina tree for three Christmases were former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Western North Carolina, where 96% of North Carolina’s Christmas tree production is located, was struck by Hurricane Helene in late September. The storm left countless homes without power and hundreds of roads closed due to debris and damage if not washed out entirely.
Nevertheless, North Carolina’s Christmas tree farms endured.
